24 Hours to Building a High-Performing Team

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In the American TV series “24” actor Kiefer Sutherland stars as head of counter terrorist unit agent Jack Bauer. The series follows 24 (stressful) hours in Jack’s work, during which he faces multiple terrorist threats from all angles—but (spoiler alert) always manages to save the day.

In the American TV series “24” actor Kiefer Sutherland stars as head of counter terrorist unit agent Jack Bauer. The series follows 24 (stressful) hours in Jack’s work, during which he faces multiple terrorist threats from all angles—but (spoiler alert) always manages to save the day.

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This got me to thinking, what can be achieved in 24 hours? If you want to improve your high-performance team by this time tomorrow, here’s your schedule (no stunts or explosions required).

This got me to thinking, what can be achieved in 24 hours? If you want to improve your high-performance team by this time tomorrow, here’s your schedule (no stunts or explosions required).

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Hour 1: Remind yourself that a team is a group of people who are committed to the same end. Ensure your team is on the same page with regards to its goals and definition of success.

Hour 1: Remind yourself that a team is a group of people who are committed to the same end. Ensure your team is on the same page with regards to its goals and definition of success.

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Hour 2: Establish the ground rules before you do anything else. Base rules on what’s important to each team member. If you’re not the team leader, then recommend to the group that you create those rules at your first meeting. One rule should be that all rules apply to everyone, such as “we talk to each other, not about each other.”

Hour 2: Establish the ground rules before you do anything else. Base rules on what’s important to each team member. If you’re not the team leader, then recommend to the group that you create those rules at your first meeting. One rule should be that all rules apply to everyone, such as “we talk to each other, not about each other.”

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Hour 3: Remind yourself of your role in the team. It’s not about you. It’s about us.

Hour 3: Remind yourself of your role in the team. It’s not about you. It’s about us.

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Hour 4: Take a genuine interest in everyone on the team. Learn their story—how they got to where they are today. You may learn something new that can help the whole team succeed.

Hour 4: Take a genuine interest in everyone on the team. Learn their story—how they got to where they are today. You may learn something new that can help the whole team succeed.

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Hour 5: Assume that everyone else on team is more qualified to do their jobs than you are to do yours. It helps keep you learning and egos in check.

Hour 5: Assume that everyone else on team is more qualified to do their jobs than you are to do yours. It helps keep you learning and egos in check.

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Hour 6: Make a list of things that you can do to support your colleagues. Then review the list every day and add to it as you think of more things. Oh, and don’t forget to DO the things you identify.

Hour 6: Make a list of things that you can do to support your colleagues. Then review the list every day and add to it as you think of more things. Oh, and don’t forget to DO the things you identify.

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Hour 7: Think about how you can support the team leader. Record your ideas. Review this list every day. Apply the ideas every day.

Hour 7: Think about how you can support the team leader. Record your ideas. Review this list every day. Apply the ideas every day.

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Hour 8: If you’re the team leader, think about how you can support everyone on your team. Provide coaching, feedback, andopportunities to learn and grow.

Hour 8: If you’re the team leader, think about how you can support everyone on your team. Provide coaching, feedback, andopportunities to learn and grow.

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Hour 9: If you’re the team leader, then listen to the preferences each team member has for the work they’ll do as a team. Enable each person to thrive and contribute their best.

Hour 9: If you’re the team leader, then listen to the preferences each team member has for the work they’ll do as a team. Enable each person to thrive and contribute their best.

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Hour 10: If you’re the team leader, then make sure that everyone understands and can commit to your decisions.

Hour 10: If you’re the team leader, then make sure that everyone understands and can commit to your decisions.

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Hour 11: If you’re the team leader, then look for ways to make everyone else in the team the team leader for his or her area of expertise, no matter how small.

Hour 11: If you’re the team leader, then look for ways to make everyone else in the team the team leader for his or her area of expertise, no matter how small.

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Hour 12: Recognize that you don’t know it all, even if everyone else thinks you do. You will probably learn as much or more as anyone else.

Hour 12: Recognize that you don’t know it all, even if everyone else thinks you do. You will probably learn as much or more as anyone else.

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Hour 13: Concentrate on fulfilling your responsibilities. In other words, mind your own business. One of the most divisive things you can do is to make someone else feel that you want to take over his or her job.

Hour 13: Concentrate on fulfilling your responsibilities. In other words, mind your own business. One of the most divisive things you can do is to make someone else feel that you want to take over his or her job.

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Hour 14: Don’t allow yourself to withdraw from the team because things aren’t working out the way you think they should. High performance is easy on the good days. But it’s how the team pulls together and how the team leader leads on the tough days that differentiates the average team from the truly high-performing team.

Hour 14: Don’t allow yourself to withdraw from the team because things aren’t working out the way you think they should. High performance is easy on the good days. But it’s how the team pulls together and how the team leader leads on the tough days that differentiates the average team from the truly high-performing team.

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Hour 15: Make sure that you understand who are the team’s customers and key stakeholders are. Actively manage the team’s reputation.

Hour 15: Make sure that you understand who are the team’s customers and key stakeholders are. Actively manage the team’s reputation.

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Hour 16: Make sure that you know when you’re supposed to deliver, each step of the way, and then meet your deadlines.

Hour 16: Make sure that you know when you’re supposed to deliver, each step of the way, and then meet your deadlines.

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Hour 17: Do whatever you can to help your colleagues to meet their deadlines.

Hour 17: Do whatever you can to help your colleagues to meet their deadlines.

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Hour 18: Concentrate on building ally relationships with everyone on the team and key stakeholders. Ally relationships have your back, celebrate your successes, and provide the tough feedback when needed to help you learn and grow.

Hour 18: Concentrate on building ally relationships with everyone on the team and key stakeholders. Ally relationships have your back, celebrate your successes, and provide the tough feedback when needed to help you learn and grow.

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Hour 19: Communicate with everyone, not just the team leader. If you don’t share what you know, then you’re not a team player. You’re just an individual who wants to impress someone with how much more you know that anyone else.

Hour 19: Communicate with everyone, not just the team leader. If you don’t share what you know, then you’re not a team player. You’re just an individual who wants to impress someone with how much more you know that anyone else.

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Hour 20: If you’re the team leader, then make sure that you participate in the same additional training or development that you expect everyone else to attend. Be a role model.

Hour 20: If you’re the team leader, then make sure that you participate in the same additional training or development that you expect everyone else to attend. Be a role model.

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Hour 21: If you’re the team leader, then don’t just focus on results, pay attention to how the results are achieved. Give people the freedom to work according to their personal style, develop a team culture that is focused on mutual success.

Hour 21: If you’re the team leader, then don’t just focus on results, pay attention to how the results are achieved. Give people the freedom to work according to their personal style, develop a team culture that is focused on mutual success.

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Hour 22: Respect your colleagues. They have as much right to be on the team as you do—whether you picked them or not.

Hour 22: Respect your colleagues. They have as much right to be on the team as you do—whether you picked them or not.

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Hour 23: Remember that action and accountability are key elements for high performance. Set the ground rules and hold yourself and others accountable for demonstrating them unfailingly. No bad apples; no results at the cost of team relationships. You succeed or fail together.

Hour 23: Remember that action and accountability are key elements for high performance. Set the ground rules and hold yourself and others accountable for demonstrating them unfailingly. No bad apples; no results at the cost of team relationships. You succeed or fail together.

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Hour 24: Celebrate your success together. Do something that you all enjoy. It’s the ideal way to complete a project.

Hour 24: Celebrate your success together. Do something that you all enjoy. It’s the ideal way to complete a project.

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For the sake of your sanity (and that of your team) you may want to spread these tips over 24 days rather than 24 hours. But you get the idea. High-performance teams don’t occur by accident, they are the result of deliberate action by the team leader and team members. What is your commitment to action?

For the sake of your sanity (and that of your team) you may want to spread these tips over 24 days rather than 24 hours. But you get the idea. High-performance teams don’t occur by accident, they are the result of deliberate action by the team leader and team members. What is your commitment to action?